Marshalltown police chased, then lost, a suspect in a hit-and-run crash. Police Chief Lon Walker says two vehicles were involved in the wreck Tuesday afternoon and one of the vehicles, a blue Ford Escort, sped away from the scene. Chief Walker says an officer spotted the suspect a short time later and tried to stop him, but the driver refused to pull over. Due to damage from the crash, the hood popped up as the car sped along, obscuring the driver’s view.
After a few minutes, the chase was called off based on police policy as they were approaching a school and it would be dangerous to continue. The car was found in a parking lot shortly after the chase. The owner is identified as 34-year-old Matthew Thompson of Marshalltown, formerly of Toledo. Thompson is wanted on a host of charges including, failure to maintain control, leaving the scene of an accident, no car insurance or registration and eluding a police officer.